After running around with Rong Di and the others, I felt my body was getting cold, so I got off my horse.
Gu Qi raised her head and said to Rong Di: "You guys go on, I'm a little cold, so I'm going to rest first."
Yan Churong dismounted and led the two horses towards the pavilion.
Gu Qi tightened her collar and was about to leave when she heard a sound behind her.
"Pei Qihuan."
Gu Qi turned around and saw Yuan Zhe dismounting and taking off his cloak.
"Your Highness, what is this?"
"This cloak is in the way, please keep it safe for me."
Yuan Zhe tied his cloak around Gu Qi, got on his horse, and galloped away.
"This young prince seems to be paying special attention to you."
Yan Churong's words brought Gu Qi back to his senses.
She raised her hand to stroke her cloak and put on a smile.
The two walked to the pavilion and saw several girls eating fruit snacks around the stone table, talking and laughing, it was very lively.
Li Muhe saw that the visitor was still sweating on his forehead, so he hurriedly brought two cups of hot tea over: "Although the sun is bright, it is already late autumn, so be careful of the wind and cold getting into your body."
"Thank you." Gu Qi took the hot tea with both hands and sat on the porch to drink the tea.
"There's still some time before the dinner, let's have something to make up for it." Liu Xiangning brought a plate of pastries and placed it between Gu Qi and Yan Churong. Then he picked up a piece and handed it to Yan Churong and said: "This chestnut cake is the most delicious cake nowadays. Fresh chestnuts are soft, glutinous and sweet. Add a little honey and it is perfect with strong tea."
Yan Churong was flattered, stood up, took the cake and thanked her hurriedly.
Song Qingyao is still young, but she can also see Liu Xiangning's mood.
She rolled her eyes, pointed directly at Gu Qi and asked: "Sister Xiangning, why do you only give it to Dr. Yan but not Mr. Pei?"
Li Muhe hid his face and snickered, raised his hand and tapped Song Qingyao's forehead.
Liu Xiangning blushed because of Song Qingyao's joke.
"He can eat it by himself. I'm not a maid, so how can I serve others for nothing?"
Seeing that Liu Xiangning was getting angry, Gu Qi hurriedly picked up the chestnut cake on the plate and said with a smile, "We are all friends, why should we be so polite."
Liu Xiangning's cheeks were red and her eyes seemed to be covered with mist. She bit her lip and quickly sat down on the stone bench in the distance.
"Qingyao, last time Xiang Ning and I invited you to go boating together to enjoy the scenery of late autumn. Why did you refuse?" Li Muhe saw that the atmosphere was a bit delicate, so he quickly found a topic to chat with.
Liu Xiangning followed suit and said, "Yes, it's rare that I met His Royal Highness King Zhe and General Rong that day."
His Highness King Zhe?
Gu Qi paused, took a sip of tea, and listened carefully to their chat.
"What's more, I was scolded by my father that day and I was in a bad mood. What was Brother Yuan doing at that time?"
"Why don't you care about what we are doing? Instead, you ask about His Highness?" Liu Xiangning reached out and poked Song Qingyao's head, and Song Qingyao started to giggle "hehe".
"Aren't you just looking at the scenery and eating fruits? What else can you do? Brother Yuan finally came back. Of course I want to know the news about him!"
"If you want to know the news about him, I'm afraid you have to ask Feng Niang!" With one sentence, Li Muhe brought the topic to Feng Chuxian who was drinking tea quietly.
Feng Chuxian slowly put down her teacup and said, "Nothing, I'm just boating on the lake and listening to the music."
Seeing that she was taciturn, everyone asked no more questions and moved on to other topics.
Several sisters chatted among themselves about their family's shortcomings.
Gu Qi was not interested in this. He only felt that his body was getting colder and he tugged on his cloak.
Yan Churong put down the cake in his hand and checked his pulse: "Still feel cold?"
"I just feel like I'm cold."
Yan Churong reached out and touched Gu Qi's forehead: "I knew I wouldn't let you ride a horse, but now you have a fever."
Just as he was talking, a maid came over and said:
"Miss, the table is ready."
Liu Xiangning nodded, just as Yuan Zhe and others came back, they returned to Liu Mansion together.
After returning to the side room to shower and change clothes, it was already dark. Under the supervision of Yan Churong, Gu Qi took the bitter decoction before going to the main hall with Yan Churong for the banquet.
Under the guidance of the maid, the two sat in the two seats on the left side of the lower head.
Zhao Dexun was sitting across from him drinking tea, and Liu Xiangning was sitting next to him. He couldn't help but glance at Gu Qi, and then looked away in panic.
The door suddenly became lively. Li Muhe and Song Qingyao walked in together. Song Qingyao pointed in the direction of Zhao Dexun and dragged Li Muhe over.
"Brother Zhao, we want to change seats, next to Sister Xiang Ning." Song Qingyao started acting coquettishly, and Zhao Dexun frowned and had to stand up.
"Thank you." Li Muhe smiled slightly at Zhao Dexun. Zhao Dexun's face suddenly turned red. He cupped his fists in salute and walked to the last table.
Yuan Zhe walked in, and everyone stood up and saluted: "Your Highness."
Rong Di still followed him until Yuan Zhe took the main seat, then turned around and sat next to Gu Qi.
"What's wrong with your face?" Rong Di asked after sitting down and looking at Gu Qi's slightly red cheeks.
Gu Qi replied: "I just took medicine and I'm a little sweaty."
"Take medicine?"
Yan Churong leaned over and said, "She just got wind while riding and has a fever."
"How about taking the food to the room to eat?" Rong Di reached out and touched Gu Qi's forehead: "I'm sweating a little, and it's still a little warm to the touch."
Gu Qi waved her hand: "It's okay. I just took the medicine. How can I get better so quickly?"
While talking, Liu Jigang walked in wearing a dark gray robe, followed by three middle-aged men. Although they were dressed like ordinary people, there was an air of bureaucracy in his movements.
Gu Qi looked at the people next to Liu Jigang, but none of them looked familiar.
What does this minister of the Yuanzhe Secret Society want to do?
After Liu Jigang and others bowed and took their seats, Yuan Zhe said in a deep voice: "Let's have a banquet."
The maid began to pass the dishes around, but Gu Qi's mind was no longer on the banquet, and she stared blankly at the unfamiliar ministers in front of her.
"Since you have a fever, you'd better not eat these cold things." Yan Churong muttered beside him.
Suddenly I heard the sound of dishes clattering, and just as I was about to lower my head, I heard Yuan Zhe's voice.
"The King of Japan will soon set off back to Qingzhou. Since there are a few important things that need to be addressed, I have summoned all of you to come."
The sound of collision was the plates handed over by Rong Di and Yan Churong, which were knocked together.
Gu Qi still had the time to think about this. She shifted her gaze to Yuan Zhe, took a plate of food and picked up a pair of chopsticks.
Yan Churong pursed his lips and took his food back.
As if he noticed something, Yuan Zhe glanced over coldly, meeting Gu Qi's searching eyes.
Gu Qi was startled, quickly lowered his head and shrank his whole body behind Rong Di.
Rong Di stood up and clapped his hands. Several musicians came in and sat behind the guests.
Vocal music sounded, and several women wearing light blue flowing skirts slowly walked in surrounded by the woman in red, dancing to the music.
The one dancing gracefully in the center is the Feng Chuxian seen in the pavilion today. She is still wearing a veil and cannot see her face clearly, but she can really feel her charm and mystery.
Gu Qi looked up at Yuan Zhe again and saw that he was leaning forward slightly, his left arm leaning on the table, his fingers tapping his forehead, and his right hand holding the wine cup, but he had not yet picked it up. He looked at Feng Chuxian intently, showing a rare smile from time to time.
Suddenly, he turned to look at Gu Qi and regained his stern demeanor.
Gu Qi smiled flatteringly and raised his glass in toast.
Yuan Zhe smiled and drank the wine in one gulp.
Rong Di chewed the beef, as if the dance was not as attractive as the food in front of him.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Gu Qi pouring wine again. He wiped the oil from his mouth and advised, "You are still not feeling well, so you should drink less."
"Ouch, I thought General Rong only saw this delicacy in his eyes." Gu Qi put down the wine cup and joked.
Rong Di laughed "hehe": "In the past, when we were fighting, we were ambushed by the enemy. The brothers were hungry for several days and nights. After they came back, they found that nothing is more important than filling their stomachs."
Seeing that Gu Qi was smiling all the time, Rong Di felt a little embarrassed: "Isn't my eating appearance ugly? I made Mr. laugh."
"Where," Gu Qi followed Rong Di's example, grabbed the meat in front of him, took a bite and said, "This is how it tastes!"
Rong Di laughed loudly: "Sir, you are really a talented person. It is Rong's honor to know you. I respect you!"
Gu Qi didn't hesitate and started drinking heavily.
Not far away, Liu Xiangning was looking at Gu Qi. When he met Gu Qi's eyes, he scurried away and said something to Li Muhe in a slightly exaggerated way. Then he covered his mouth with a handkerchief and laughed.
After the banquet, Li Muhe and others said goodbye to Yuanzhe. Under the leadership of Liu Jigang, Yuanzhe and several ministers went into the study to discuss matters. Rong Di and Zhao Dexun stood outside the study holding swords.
Yan Churong left the table midway and never returned. He didn't know what happened.
Gu Qi beat his head. Maybe he drank too much wine and was dizzy.
After leaving the hall and going towards the wing, he suddenly remembered that he had not returned his cloak, so he turned back and walked towards the study.
Although he was curious, he could only restrain the idea of finding out what was going on. He handed the cloak to Rong Di and returned to the wing.
On the way, I was passing by the pond in Liu Mansion. I suddenly remembered the scene where I was sitting by the pond chatting with Han Zizheng before I left. I lowered my head and laughed unconsciously.
Suddenly hearing a slight noise, Gu Qi was instantly alert!
Someone is following me!
I haven't noticed after walking for so long. This person's lightness skills may not be inferior to mine.
What is his purpose in following me?
Gu Qi was a little flustered. She didn't have time to think too much at the moment, so she had to speed up her pace and plan to get rid of him.
"Miss, walk slower, you can't see the road clearly at night!" I seemed to hear the maid's voice. When I got closer, I saw that it was Xiao Cui whom I had seen during the day.
Liu Xiangning completely ignored Xiaocui's words and just walked forward quickly with her head lowered.
Seeing that he was about to collide with him, Gu Qi was startled and dodged to the left to get out of the way.
The person in the dark suddenly fired a cold arrow. The arrow originally aimed at Gu Qi went directly towards Liu Xiangning's body.
"Be careful!" Gu Qi took a step forward to cover her.
But when Liu Xiangning saw Gu Qi rushing towards him, she was so frightened that she backed away, tripped her feet and fell directly into the pond, dragging Gu Qi down with her.
Hearing a "plop" sound, the cold water soaked through his clothes, and Gu Qi shivered. He poked his head out and saw Liu Xiangning splashing in the water not far away. He hurriedly swam over and hugged her body. Little by little, Liu Xiangning was dragged to the edge of the pond. The maids screamed in fright. They put down the lamps in their hands and pulled Liu Xiangning up together.
"Miss, wake up! What should I do?" Xiaocui shook Liu Xiangning's body and cried anxiously.
Several maids surrounded Liu Xiangning, not daring to do anything more and could only cry.
Gu Qi frowned, stepped forward and pulled the two maids apart: "Get out of the way."
Gu Qi knelt on the ground and untied the tight knot around Liu Xiangning's neck.
"Mr. Pei, you..."
"Shut up!" Gu Qi yelled urgently, then lowered his head and began to breathe.
Liu Xiangning coughed out the water in her throat before she regained consciousness.
Gu Qi helped her sit up slowly: "Are you okay?"
Liu Xiangning shook his head: "No problem, thank you Mr. Pei."
The maid brought the lantern over, and only then did Gu Qi see the situation clearly.
Liu Xiangning kept covering her lower abdomen with her hands. There seemed to be some brown blood stains where she sat, staining her gauze skirt.
"You are hurt?"
"No," Liu Xiangning's face turned red and she said no more.
Gu Qi suddenly realized! Could it be...
"what happen?"
At the moment of embarrassment, the servants held lanterns and rushed over with Liu Jigang, Yuan Zhe and others.
Gu Qi followed the sound and looked. Liu Xiangning tugged on Gu Qi's sleeve and stopped talking.
The maids helped Liu Xiangning up. Thinking of Liu Xiangning's inconvenience, Gu Qi wanted to take off her outer shirt, but then remembered that she was soaked and feared something was wrong.
When hesitating, Gu Qi's eyes lit up when he saw Yuan Zhe standing not far away: "Miss Liu, wait a moment."
He ran straight to Yuan Zhe, stood on tiptoes and leaned towards him: "Your Highness, I'm sorry."
"What are you doing!" Yuan Zhe was startled when he saw her suddenly coming forward.
"Lend me your cloak." Gu Qi took off his cloak.
The not-so-translucent candlelight reflected Gu Qi's fair face.
Exquisite as a beauty in a painting.
A faint medicinal fragrance penetrated his nose, and Yuan Zhe felt it was difficult to breathe, and his heart seemed to skip two beats.
"presumptuous!"
Gu Qi ignored it and ran back to tie the cloak around Liu Xiangning.
Liu Jigang followed behind and saw Liu Xiangning in a mess, and said angrily: "What happened!"
Gu Qi stood in front of Liu Jigang: "Sorry, Master Liu, an assassin just broke in and failed to protect Miss Liu."
When Rong Di heard that there was an assassin, he ran directly towards the distance.
Yuan Zhe calmed down and walked over with his head held high.
Glancing at Gu Qi, he frowned and said, "Are you injured?"
Gu Qi looked down and saw that his upper arm had been slashed and covered in blood.
"It's okay." Gu Qi covered the wound, feeling her body getting colder.
"Go back quickly! Are you still waiting here to dry?" Yuan Zhe said angrily, turned and left.
"Thank you, Your Highness." I don't know if he heard it.
late at night
"how?"
The man in black took off his veil, revealing a cold and beautiful face. The person who came was actually Feng Chuxian.
Feng Chuxian shook his head and said, "It doesn't look like he knows martial arts."
Yuan Zhe turned to look at her and said, "What if it was deliberately hidden?"
"It doesn't look like it," Feng Chuxian shook her head: "In times of crisis, it is inevitable that flaws will be revealed."
"Okay, go ahead."
After Feng Chuxian left, Yuan Zhe stood in front of the table and murmured to himself: "Pei Qihuan..."
Gu Qi's appearance flashed in his mind: a pale face, a seductive charm in his eyes, and a coldness when he got close, which made people's blood surge.
"Oh." He sighed and took two sips of tea to regain his composure.
